F/V Angel Rae Sinking

(Information on this site is considered to be accurate at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.)

Tuesday, 11/10/09 2:00 pm

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), U.S. Coast Guard and the Port
of Seattle continue to respond an oil spill at Harbor Island Marina in Seattle.

Port police received a report shortly after two this morning that a vessel
had sunk at its mooring at the port’s Harbor Island Marina, located on the
southern tip of the island. The 65-foot Angel Rae is partially submerged. An
undetermined amount of diesel fuel escaped from the vessel’s fuel tanks.

A spill-response contractor this morning placed floating boom around the
vessel to stop the spread of oil on the water’s surface. A diver plugged
fuel-tank air vents from which the fuel was escaping. Cleanup crews pumped out
approximately 100 gallons of diesel that remained in the boat’s fuel tanks.

The spilled fuel spread out quickly to create a thin patchy sheen on the
water’s surface. The sheen extended within several feet of shore northward –
approximately 300 yards along the East Waterway and 200 yards along the West
Waterway.

Cleanup crews on boats patrolled the sheen area looking for patches dense
enough to remove from the water with oil-absorbent cleanup pads. Inside the
boomed area around the boat, crews placed and removed hundreds of the two-foot
square pads.

The cleanup effort received assistance from the King County Sheriff’s Office
which flew its helicopter over the spill area at sunrise and provided video of
the sheen to Ecology.

The Port of Seattle will be removing the vessel from the harbor and taking it
to dry dock.